Kelsey Blackstone and Tobias Lund Are Redefining Soul-Pop Chemistry with Rinse and Repeat

When Nashville firecracker Kelsey Blackstone links up with Austin’s groove master Tobias Lund, sparks fly. Their new single Rinse and Repeat blends Kelsey’s bold soul-pop edge with Tobias’s effortless R&B smoothness, creating a sound that is both timeless and modern.

The track captures the frustrating yet beautiful cycle of love, the endless loop of falling, failing, and trying again. With buttery vocals, funky horns, and a silky bassline, Rinse and Repeat feels like sunshine and heartbreak all at once.

Both artists are making serious waves in their own right. Kelsey is fresh off national tours, opening for acts like Lloyiso and Mom Rock, while Tobias has been lighting up Texas stages with his five-piece band and earning praise from Austin’s tastemakers

Together, they prove that groove and vulnerability can coexist, and that love, no matter how chaotic, is always worth another spin.

How did the collaboration for Rinse and Repeat first come together, and what made you realize it was the right fit? 

Kelsey and I first met on social media. We were messaging back and forth, complimenting each other’s work. When my friend (Camila Rivers) and I planned a weekend tripped to Nashville, I went on a whim and reached out to Kelsey to see if she would be interested in writing a song together. She immediately said yes. Kelsey’s go ahead attitude made me realise we were a good creative/professional match. 

The song was written in a single 3-4-hour session in Nashville with our cowriter, Camila Rivers. We then produced and recorded the track remotely from Austin and Nashville separately, which was an interesting challenge. 

Throughout the process of setting up the session, writing, recording and now releasing and promoting the song, I think Kelsey and I have matched each other’s energy well, which can be hard to find. We both care deeply about the song and are ambitious about our music projects, so we work hard on the musical and business aspects of our art. 

The song dives deep into the cycle of love and heartbreak. How do you both connect to that message personally? 

When we had our session in February this year I was personally feeling burnt out on dating. In the time leading up to the session I had gone through multiple “almost-relationships” and even more unsuccessful first dates. I brought this up in our session, and I was excited to have Kelsey and Camila resound with the subject. I think most people have had a hard time in their lives, wanting to date while feeling exhausted by the act. 

The track feels like a modern take on vintage soul. What artists or sounds inspired its production and tone? 

Kelsey and I both brand our music as “soul-pop”, as we both take inspiration in vintage soul, but also include modern topics and pop melody. My main influences are Allen Stone and Stevie Wonder. 

In the last couple of years, I’ve been listening to a lot more Neo-Soul and modern R&B. This influenced my song choices for our reference track playlist for the production of “Rinse and Repeat”, as I included many tracks from D’Angelo’s iconic album “Voodoo”. This influenced the drum groove, feel and instrumentation a lot, which I think complimented the jazzy chords well. We made a point of focusing on real/classic instruments like live drums, Rhodes, trumpets, and saxophones. 

Releasing a song inspired by D’Angelo’s music feels bittersweet given his recent passing, but let it be an ode to his greatness. Other artists on our reference playlist included Corinne Bailey Rae, Katie Tupper and Sam Wills. 

How did you merge your different musical worlds when writing and recording this song? 

In the writing room, I was at the piano, coming up with chords, while Kelsey had her notebook out for lyrics. We went back and forth on melody and lyric ideas, which I think created a nice blend of our usual melodic and lyrical choices. I instantly felt Kelsey’s background in jazz vocals, which added some cool melodic twists. 

When recording, I teamed up with some of my favorite musicians in Austin to play on the track, and we built it out one instrument at a time. With the physical distance, Kelsey and I were forced to send full ideas back and forth, which I actually think created better opportunity for objective feedback. 

I also had the pleasure of working with Kelsey’s mix and mastering engineers, who were exceptional at following our vision for the record's sound. 

With your tour and new releases ahead, what do you both hope listeners take away from Rinse and Repeat?

I hope that people relate to the topic of dating burnout. Most of all though, I hope that people see the value of collaboration, through our creation. My favorite thing is writing and recording music with other artists. I have found that in this case the phrase “the sum of the two parts is greater than the whole” is true.

This is my 4th collaborative release, and I have a lot more coming next year.  Releasing a song with an artist based in a different state has also made me realize that with modern technology, the possibilities for collaboration are endless. 

And then I’m excited to open for Kelsey in Nashville in November and perform the song together.